Ciryl Gane once again passed a test against a tough veteran to get his record to a perfect 9-0 with a unanimous-decision win over Alexander Volkov in the main event of UFC Vegas 30 from the Apex Facility. 

From the get-go it was going to be a hard fight to score. Gane was the aggressor, backing up Volkov and finding success when he decided to fire. Volkov was fighting with his back to the cage but landing enough warning shots to keep Gane at distance. 

As the fight wore on, Gane's speed and conditioning stood out. He continued to increase his output and open up his striking repertoire, opening a gap between himself and Drago. 

The Frenchman showed off a lot of range for a heavyweight and the speed to keep his opponent guessing.

Round 4 saw Volkov bring some aggression to the fight. He was able to find some success but was rebuffed by Gane to create another close round that could have gone either way.  

Disaster nearly struck in the fifth and final round when an eye poke from Gane left the fight in question with just 30 seconds to go. Fortunately, Volkov's eyesight was deemed good enough to continue, and the fight came to its natural conclusion. 

The win puts Gane squarely on the heavyweight championship radar. How he does against the top tier of the weight class will be interesting. He has shown the potential to be among the most skilled fighters in the division, but without the power of some of the biggest punchers in the division, he will be an interesting matchup. 

Here's a look at how the rest of the afternoon card played out. 

Main Card

• Ciryl Gane def. Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision (50-45 x2, 49-48)
• Tanner Boser def. Ovince Saint Preux via KO at 2:31 of Round 2
• Timur Valiev def. Raoni Barcelos via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Andre Fili vs. Daniel Pineda declared no-contest
• Tim Means def. Nicolas Dalby via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Renato Moicano def. Jai Herbert via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:34 of Round 2

Prelims

• Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Danilo Marques via TKO at 0:20 of Round 3
• Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Michel Prazeres via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:10 of Round 2 
• Jeremiah Wells def. Warlley Alves via KO at 0:30 of Round 2
• Marcin Prachnio def. Ike Villaneuva via TKO at 0:56 of Round 2
• Julia Avila def. Julija Stoliarenko via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:19 of Round 3
• Charles Rosa def. Justin Jaynes via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
• Damir Hadzovic def. Yancy Medeiros via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tanner Boser def. Ovince Saint Preux

Tanner Boser snapped his losing streak in emphatic fashion with a second-round TKO win over Ovince Saint Preux in the co-main event. 

Boser just drowned OSP in volume from the jump. According to ESPN's FightCenter, he threw 72 significant strikes compared to Saint Preux's 21 before landing the knockout blow. 

Saint Preux had his opportunities. He landed a takedown in the second round that had him in dominant position. However, Boser was able to work his way to the feet relatively easily and landed a big knee and punch that brought about the end. 

The win is significant for Boser, who was fighting on just 21 days' notice since his split-decision loss to Ilir Latifi. The Canadian hasn't looked all that impressive in recent outings, but this should reignite some interest in him. 

It also might signify the end of Saint Preux. This was his second unsuccessful trip to heavyweight. At 38 years old, it might be time to hang up the gloves. 

Timur Valiev def. Raoni Barcelos

Timur Valiev's nickname is "The Lucky." He earned it Saturday afternoon. 

Valiev narrowly beat Raoni Barcelos by majority decision, with two judges giving him the fight and another judge scoring it 28-28. The card that was ruled a draw came down to how the second round was scored. Barcelos nearly finished the Russian:

The near-knockout would be a 10-8 on a lot of cards, but that wasn't the case on two of the cards. Valiev rallied enough in the other two rounds to take the fight on the cards and ultimately get his hand raised. 

Ultimately, the win gives Valiev eight in a row officially. A lone loss to Trevin Jones in that time period was ruled a no-contest after Jones tested positive for marijuana. 

The real winner here was the audience, as these two went at it for all three rounds. Both fighters should see their stock go up. 

Andre Fili vs. Daniel Pineda Declared No-Contest

A great performance for Andre Fili and an excellent fight suffered an unfortunate ending because of an accidental eye poke. 

Pineda's devil-may-care style combined with Fili's smooth striking made for a fast-paced slugfest in the first round. The two were trading shots, and Fili was clearly getting the better end of the exchanges. He stung Pineda on more than one occasion and could have won the first round 10-8. 

Unfortunately, he won't get a win on his record officially. A finger slipped into Pineda's eye, causing it to swell shut. The eye also had a cut that was running blood into the eye, further complicating the fight continuing. 

Despite protests from the injured, referee Herb Dean called the end to the fight. 

It'll be interesting to see if the UFC decides to run this one back. It was fun while it lasted, but there was little doubt Fili was on his way to a win. 

Tim Means def. Nicolas Dalby

Tim Means edged out Nicolas Dalby in a tightly contested, gritty welterweight contest. Means, who is now on a three-fight win streak at 37 years old, went to his wrestling to get the edge. 

While Means was willing to stand and trade with Dalby at times, it was his ability to throw in some throws out of the clinch and takedowns that separated him from his opponent. 

Dalby didn't go quietly. He was a willing striker on the feet and connected on several hooks that seemed to impact the Dirty Bird, but ultimately he wasn't able to stay off the mat long enough to get the nod from the judges. 

The win puts Means in an interesting position. He's won three in a row, which is a departure from his 3-5 record between 2017 and early 2020.

For Dalby, this cuts off any momentum he may have gained from his decision win over Daniel Rodriguez last time out. 

Renato Moicano def. Jai Herbert

Renato Moicano returned to his roots to secure one of his best wins in quite some time, forcing Jai Herbert to tap to a rear-naked choke in the second round. 

Moicano had lost three of his last four fights heading into the contest, with all of the losses coming by knockout. Fighting against the likes of Jose Aldo and The Korean Zombie, Moicano was trying to strike with fighters on a different level than him. 

Going against Herbert, he showed a realization that he's at his best when grappling. He utilized a wrestling-heavy game plan and found himself in control most of the fight. 

Although Herbert worked his way to the feet in the first round, he didn't have the energy to do that in the second round. It spelled his doom, as Moicano was able to wrap up the choke. 

It's Moicano's fourth rear-naked choke in the UFC. Prior to his skid, he was 5-1 in the UFC with wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson. When he sticks to what he knows, he is still a dangerous fighter.